World Council presents new members and awards at annual general meeting

DENVER — Anne Cochran, president and CEO of the Louisiana Credit Union League (LCUL) in the United States, has been named the first female chair of World Council of Credit Unions' board of directors. Cochran, who succeeded outgoing chair Grzegorz Bierecki, president and CEO of the National Association of Co-operative Savings and Credit Unions of Poland, formally accepted the chair's chain of office during the World Credit Union Conference general session on Tuesday in Denver, USA.

Over 3,000 attendees from 61 countries meet for four days in Denver, Colorado, USA

DENVER — World Council of Credit Unions and Credit Union National Association welcomed over 3,000 people from 61 countries at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, USA, Sunday evening for the opening ceremonies of the 2015 co-hosted World Credit Union Conference and America's Credit Union Conference. From 12–15 July, participants will hear from world-class speakers, network with colleagues from around the globe and learn from top industry experts on topics such as young adult membership growth, advocacy, operations, leadership and development and emerging trends.

DENVER — More than 160 female credit union leaders from 24 countries gathered in Denver, Colorado, USA, Sunday for the 2015 Global Women's Leadership Forum during the World Credit Union Conference and America's Credit Union Conference to discuss the advancement of credit union women in leadership. In the largest Leadership Forum event to date, participants heard from keynote speaker Ingrid Vanderveldt, CEO of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020, about tangible ways women can elevate themselves in leadership and their careers.

World Council Awarded New USAID Program to Stimulate Affordable Housing Market in Haiti

Madison, Wis. — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded World Council the Home Ownership and Mortgage Expansion (HOME) Program to catalyze the housing finance sector to create access to affordable housing for average Haitian households.

2014 Global Credit Union Statistical Report Available

Global membership rises by 10 million

MADISON, Wis. — World Council of Credit Unions has released its newest Statistical Report, which provides membership and financial data as of December 2014 from credit unions and financial cooperatives worldwide. This year's report includes information from 57,480 credit unions serving over 217 million members in 105 countries.

LONDON — Members of the European Network of Credit Unions (ENCU) met with the European Banking Authority on May 28th to discuss the European Union's (EU) implementation of the Net Stable Funding Ratio, the Basel III metric for medium-term liquidity management. European credit unions are exempt from the EU's Basel III liquidity rules, but are impacted by them indirectly because the rules require banks to hold additional reserves against deposits made by credit unions and other financial institutions. These additional reserves raise the bank's effective cost of funds and result in credit unions receiving lower rates on their bank deposit investments. ENCU members including the Association of British Credit Unions, Ltd., the Irish League of Credit Unions and World Council of Credit Unions participated in the meeting held at the European Banking Authority's offices on Canary Wharf in London, England.

World Council Hosts Lobbying Workshop in Costa Rica

American panelists speak to capacity crowd

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan and Senior Vice President of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions and Affiliates Jared Ross shared best practices and key principles in lobbying during the World Council of Credit Union's Lobbying and Governmental Affairs Workshop on May 21 and 22 in San José, Costa Rica.

Women credit union leaders join thousands of industry leaders in Denver in July

MADISON, Wis. — World Council of Credit Unions has announced four women leaders from Macedonia, Malawi, Philippines and Thailand as winners of the 2015 Global Women Leadership Network scholarship. The scholarship program offers women worldwide an opportunity to participate in the Network's professional and personal development activities, expand credit union knowledge, enhance skills and grow international connections.

Idaho and Moldova Sign World Council International Partnership Agreement

CHISINAU, Moldova — Four representatives of the Idaho Credit Union League recently visited the Central Association of Savings and Credit Associations (CASCA) of Moldova in Eastern Europe to sign a partnership agreement, the newest of 20 international partnerships managed by the World Council of Credit Unions.